St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-10-01

the Red River of the North? There is
no river there. 1t is little creek. OF
course there are times when it swells
out into something like respectable pro-
portions, but usually it is little, slug
gish creek. 1t never was much of a
river'
'.That whole country was once better
watered than it is, wasn't it?"
Eyes, it was all an immense lake. 1t
was bigger than Superior and shallow.
AS the waters settled down, Minnesota
river became the outlet. The Missis-
sippi river was not the main river by
any means. twas small stream COM
pared with the mighty river which
we now call the Minnesota. Ii you
travel along the courses of those rivers
you will see that the Minnesota river
cut its way between immense banks and
tore channel through
ROCKS THAT SEEM ALMOST IsIPREGSA-
BILE.
In those days there was picturesque
grandeur in our country equal to any
thing now to be seen in the mountains.
Lake Traverse and Big Stone lake are
but widenings i'll the river, just as Pepin
is in the Mississippi"
''But Minnesota river is but con-
tinuation of the Red"
''On the contrary, there is no river
worth the name north of Lake Traverse.
Those two lakes were about the center
OF the great lake which once covered all
the country. The drainage was from
that central point, as it is to-day. The
Red is but one of many feeders which
naturally run into the lake, and which
became necessary as the higher waters
receded. There are hundreds of di-
vides which used to have little streams
in them, all tending to the center Of the
great lake which is now Shrunken into
Traverse and Big Stone.''
is that soil lasting for fertility?"
'There is no reason why it should
not be. 1t is full of all the requisite
materials for everlasting culture. 1t is
well watered, and there is an abundance
of fuel underneath it. The country be-
tween the two lakes on the border, and
Devils lake, is high enough and yet not
too high. There are excellent eleya-
appropriate intervals there is to be
found lakes, streams and rivers.
THE MISSOURI Is A SOURCE OF IRRIGA-
TION,
as well as highway of commerce. If
properly cared for, the Missouri would
be as much a fertilizer as the Nile is to
Egypt"
Conversing upon this same subject
later on, with Samuel j. Wallace, the
scientist, he said:
sThe trouble with rivers is, that peo-
pie quarrel with them too much instead
of agreeing with them Rivers agree to
tear up the ground about any obstruc-
ton. and deposit the earth ON the next
obStructing bank, or else to build
sand bars. Where rivers bend too
md f1,n 10 TO
too many miles to reach given points,
there should be trees stuck in the river
bed opposite the bends. and the river
would Immediately commence to tear
the earth from beneath it, and throw up
a bank opposite: so that in single sea-
son the river would dig all the canals
necessary to suit the most faStidiouS
navigator. | could spend 100000
agreeing with river and encouraging
it to fight a few thousand trees, and in
season so shorten the stream, and re-
claim enough valuable ground, to pay
for the expense incurred and make a
mint of money besides. But, SO long
as such things are in the hands of civil
engineers who belong to the army there
will continue to be annual river and
harbOr appropriations to be thrown
away. The engineers of the army can't
learn anything; because they know
everything beforehand. Dakota is in
the best condition for everlasting irriga-
ton and commerce of any territory in
the Union, and she cannot be put to the
rear by any possible combination of cir
cumstances. 1t is pity, however, that
her Missouri river is not properly ham
died. 1t is a great stream, and need not
be a treacherOuS stream. 1t should be
educated to serve man."